Hug Backs & Stillness

He was on his second round of chemo and sleep was easy, but even in sleep he was having a hard time turning off his anxious mind.  There are moments in my day I stop everything to experience stillness, and in these moments I am hugged by the “be” within me.  For most, our days are hijacked by our “do” driving us to maximize each moment and be called high achievers.  But it’s the “be” within us that serves as our pilot lights, and reignites our passion for living.  I’ve learned that in these moments of stillness, hug backs to the “be” within me, keeps my pilot light lit.  Find more moments of stillness in 2015 and feel the glow.   

Well-Being Centric Life Journey

We are two days away from 2015 and even if you don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions, most of us can’t help but think about how we want 2015 to be a better year.   After parking my truck, I walked in with a nurse that had worked through the holidays, and talking with him reminded me of my own effort to better fit work with other pieces of my life.  In a HBR article, Work-Life “Balance” Isn’t the Point, the author suggest we strive to be effective in all aspects of our life by better aligning and blending our many roles.  This effort redefines life success, and gets us back in control of a well-being centric life journey.

Music of Life

Christmas morning I woke up with a little boy’s excitement about the presents under the tree.  Tradition in my family required us to be fully dressed, breakfast eaten, and teeth brushed before we could start opening presents. I quickly got out of bed, and just as quickly realized I was no longer that little boy, but the excitement stayed.  After dressing, I stood on our lake house pier wrapped in an excitement for life as I watched the fog silently dance across the water.  Today let the excitement of past moments and future possibilities surround you with the music of life. 

Fragile Scent of Today

Yesterday, I had an email conversation with a friend who was just waking up in Byron Bay Australia to the sweet sounds of the magpies, and who plans to surf Christmas day.  Morning came early today with the sounds of surf and the rolling feeling as waves pass underneath my surf board, it’s like being gently rocked by the hand of God.  Fleeting memories circle my soul like a soft ocean breeze, past moments I try hard to embrace, realizing if I blink all will disappear.  It’s impossible not to blink, as morning whispers my name and I am caressed / blessed with another day.  Be mindful of the fragile scent of today.

Ripples of Mindfulness

I’ve reached a stage in my life where I work at maximizing every minute of my journey, yet my daily thirst for internal peace is usually experienced for just a few moments each day.  But these moments of internal peace are like water ripples providing an internal peace throughout my day.  Each day becomes an adventure filled with calming moments to be claimed, moments that become powerful ripples of internal peace.  I’ve reached a stage in my life where I’ve learned that maximizing every minute is all about the ripples created by my mindfulness.

LIfe Sounds

They had chosen an oblong booth, and I slid in next to my oldest grandson Robert.  He’s a hugger and immediately gave me a hug that only grandsons can give.  He couldn’t wait for me to open my present, but first his mom had him read what he had written on the wrapping paper, and his eyes sparked.  Ever notice how much the sounds of life matter?  A shadow caught in the winds whisper as it bends around a tree, rain drops reflecting the sun’s rays like miniature rainbows, a shy moon circling around the trees, and the sound of love, “Happy Birthday Grandpa”!  Today be mindful of the life sounds around you that matter. 

Touched by an Angel

By 7:15am the nuclear medicine tech had injected a radiotracer into my vein, and told me to come back around 9am for the scan.  I headed for breakfast, but realized I had a different kind of thirst, so I walked over to one of my favorite sacred spaces in Mays Clinic the Water Wall.  A young man was standing there,   we talked briefly, and I walked away still thirsty.  Halfway down the sky bridge I heard someone calling, and turned to find the young man, “Mr, out of your heart flow’s the river of life”.  We hugged, and then he was gone, as I stood with tears streaming down my face realizing I’d been touched by an angel.  Listen to your heart today.